Flames from the Heart
by Zane's Girlfriend
Summary: Kai and Nya have a dark past from before the brother became a ninja. Both siblings were searching for a relative to take them in, but when hitchhiking, a man stops to pick them up. Is he being kindhearted or does he have an ulterior motive? Rated T for violence and abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A Cold Evening

"Where's Zane?" I glance back and forth, but find not a single trace of him.

"Kai, do think something happened to him?" Nya asks, clutching my arm in terror, the attack still fresh in our minds.

"I don't know. Zane!" I call him, but the booming thunder drowns out all sounds. _What about the alleyway? _"Come here." I pull my eleven-year-old sister with me, moving along the rainy Jamanukai village, searching for the boy. "Zane!" I keep shouting yet receive no response and finally reach the dim alley, which has a rather musty odor.

"Kai, I'm scared," Nya says.

"It's okay. Here. Get on my back," I tell her and bend low enough for her to scramble on.

She's not that heavy so carrying her piggyback style isn't that hard, and I amble in, looking everywhere. I spot two figures on the ground, one significantly smaller than the other and set my sister down. "I need to check on them, okay?"

"Okay," Nya responds, still trembling. I put two fingers up to the taller figure's nostrils. No breath. I do the same to Zane's and find…none, but I decide to check again. I put an ear to his chest, only to touch a sticky wound. His chest rises and falls shallowly, but there isn't much time to save him. "How is he?" Nya asks.

"He's alive, though not for long," I tell her, "Help me." I begin lifting Zane's limp body by his armpits, and manage to get one arm around my shoulder. Nya puts one around hers as well, and we both begin bringing him with difficulty to the house, which is not far away. When we get there, we set him on the floor in front of the door, panting. "Is there anything that we can use for his injury like a first aid kit?" I ask her, pressing my hands against the stab wound to keep more blood from draining.

"I'll look in the bathroom," my sister says, darting off to a room nearby.

"Please, stay with me," I whisper to Zane. His icy, blue eyes are now half open staring mindlessly into space, seemingly not comprehending a single thing that is going on.

"Murder!" a voice shouts outside, alerting the villagers as he keeps screaming. "Murder! Someone's been murdered! GET THE POLICE!"

It's best if I wait and see what conclusion they come to before calling for help, in case they decide we did it. Nya comes back, empty-handed, and shakes her head. "Put your hands on the wound while I make a bandage," I tell her and she does what she's told.

I take off my red shirt and tear part of it off into a long strip; then shove my sister's hands off the wound. I wrap the cloth around Zane's chest, and shoulder, tying the ends into a tight knot. "Hey, the back door to the house is open!" a woman's voice exclaims, "Let's take a look!"

"Be careful, someone may be in there," a deep, man's voice warns.

"Get in the room next to us," I whisper to Nya.

"But what about Zane?"

"He'll be fine. They might even help him," I respond as I shove her and myself into Jason's room, shutting the door as quietly as possible. I grab a white shirt that is on the bed and put it on before returning to the door. I press my ear to it, listening to the conversation between the two.

"Carl, there are three bodies!" the woman screams.

"There's an old woman and two men with knives in their backs, so they probably killed her, but what about them?" Carl speculates. This guy's not half bad. "Alyssa, there's someone else too."

"It's a young teen. He's alive!" Alyssa gasps. "Let's get the other villagers and a physician!"

"Okay. Do you think those kids that lived here did this?"

"I don't know, but let's go first." I hear scuffling and soon the door being shut; then I open the door a crack. No one is here.

"Come on, Nya. We have to leave, before they come back, or else we're going to be in real trouble," I tell my sister.

**AN: What do you think? Should I keep writing and alternate this between my other story? Please R&R! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hitchhiking

"Kai, I'm hungry," Nya complains for the umpteenth time, "Where are we going?"

"To our aunt's house, but it's a little far from here," I respond.

"Can't we hitchhike?" my sister pleads with a puppy face, "Please?"

"No!" I shout immediately, startling her by my sudden fierceness, but I've told her before. "How many times have I said that hitchhiking is dangerous? We could be killed!"

"Okay! Sorry!" Nya lets go of my hand and rushes ahead of me, into another wet, dimly lit alley, run down from the _terrific _weather of Ninjago. I run to catch up with her, but I slip from the rain, falling face down. I feel a sharp pain in my head and see a white flash of light, right before everything goes black.

The first thing I feel is a horrible throb in my head and a stinging pain in my chest. I open my eyes, seeing Nya leaning over with a wet rag, and see we are in a…mini van. I sit up, pushing her out of the way to see a man driving the vehicle, into a remote area. "Nya!" I scream, "What did I tell you about going with a-"

"Stranger?" the driver finishes my sentence for me before making a turn in front of a little cottage. "I'm just picked you both up because you were injured, kid. Is there a reason why you are so skeptical?"

I stay silent, realizing I once was more trusting, but…he is right. I don't trust anyone anymore, not after what happened to my sister and I before.

**Flashback**

_" __I don't know if this is a good idea," Nya whispers in my ear as we enter an alley in Jamanuka village, followed by the son of my parents' friend, Jason._

_"__It's okay. I'll be right back. I forgot to get something," Jason says and takes off calling, "Don't go anywhere!"_

_"__It'll be fine. Besides, we are going with someone Mom and Dad know. He would never hurt us," I tell her._

_"__Ah!" Nya screams, pointing wildly at something behind me. I turn around to see a blade slicing downwards, into my right arm._

**End of Flashback**

I look down, seeing a bandage around my chest where a bit of blood stains it on the upper right side, and my sister is holding my shirt. I habitually touch the scar on my right arm, fingering it at the memory. It feels like yesterday that it happened, my mom being murdered, my father dying while protecting us, though it was only a few weeks ago. My eyes moisten with tears. _They are gone. Nya and I are…alone. I wonder how Zane is doing right now? Poor kid. He doesn't even remember who he is or where his family is, or if he even has a family. Maybe I shouldn't complain; maybe I should be nicer to my sister, the only person I have in my life now._

"I'm sorry, Nya," I say to her.

She gives a little smile, dimples forming on her rosy cheeks, and helps me up as the man opens the back door for us. He is about six feet tall, like Jason, but thicker and more muscular, wearing a black T-shirt with silver letters that say:

_Black Roses are not as Beautiful as Red Ones_

I find that a curious line but follow the man into the house anyway, with my sister behind me, holding my hand in hers, trembling slightly. He opens the door and tells us with a smile, "After you."

We enter into a living room with black walls, and a black carpet, but the furniture is dark red, even the coffee table. Everything is so dismal, as if this guy is a dark individual. The lights are dim, coming from a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. Cobwebs cover it and there is a copper odor that I can almost taste. It's foul and reminds me of blood, the way the entire layout is brings my hair on end, but I keep walking in, as if I cannot leave. I turn, seeing the door shut and hear the lock clicks, only bringing more suspicions and fears into my mind at the moment.

"What are you doing?" I demand.

"Mr. Rigid? Why did you lock the door?" Nya asks innocently. The man does not respond and approaches us slowly, a smile forming on his disgusting face. He strokes his black and red beard, fingering a hook that's in it, and removes it.

"Sis, get behind me," I tell her, grabbing her thin arm and she does as she's told. My eyes dart back and forth, searching for something I can use to stop this guy, but I don't notice anything, except a…chair?

"Nya, run," I say softly.

"But-"

"Now!" I let go of her as several things happen at once. My sister takes off in the opposite direction as Rigid pulls out something from his belt loops, and I pick up a red and black chair. What he's holding is not a belt. It's a whip.

**Black Roses are not as Beautiful as Red Ones… What do you guys think that means? Black roses represent death and red love, but the red has a second meaning.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Crack of the Whip

**A/N: just so everyone knows, I will respond to reviews for people wih accounts using PM and reply on here for guests. In addition, I will put this down on every story with more than one chapter in case someone doesn't know that. Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago.**

**Lya200: Thank you.**

**Fireice: You got it right. It is blood. :)**

**Next Question: What kind of person would write the phrase: Black Roses are not as Beautiful as Red Ones?**

"What are you doing?" I ask rhetorically, backing away from Rigid with a pounding heart, "Get away from us!"

"You are alone," Rigid says nonchalantly, smirking. He cracks the black whip, trying to put fear into me, which certainly works, but I don't show it, at least I don't think so. He cracks it again and lashes at me. The thongs curl around the chair and both of us pull back, but I hurl forward slamming my stomach into the chair that lands on the floor. My gut feels like it and my breath has been sucked in. I pant as I get up, realizing in how much trouble we are in if Nya and I don't get out of here.

_Oh my goodness. _Rigid lashes my arm and I cry out in pain, pulling away from the weapon. It stings terribly, but I need to do something or else we may never see the light of day again. I grab the leg of the chair, tearing it off and swinging it at the man. It never makes it. He whips me again and the thongs curl around my arm, yanking me forward; then he grabs me. He lifts me up, slinging me over his shoulder.

"Let go of me!" I demand, pounding my fists on his back as hard as I can to no avail.

Rigid throws me on my back and screams. "Don't move!"

"Like heck I will!" I retort, throwing a kick that lands in his left ribcage. He barely shows any signs that I even hit him and wraps the black whip around my throat tightening it enough I cannot breathe. I reach out to him, trying to grab him or something, just to get away. My vision starts to blur enough that I can barely make out his thick hand, and I bite him, hard. Blood squirts from his flesh and I drive a knee into his face; then bolt away, towards where my sister had gone.

"Please, let there be another way out!" I shout, not really caring if my assailant hears me.

"Ah!" a girl's voice screams.

"Nya! Where are you? Nya!" I call her name repeatedly. "Nya, please answer me!"

"Kai, I'm up here! Help me!" my sister pleads from somewhere above.

I notice a flight of black stairs and quickly ascend them, with Rigid close behind. "I'm coming, sis!" I respond as something grabs my ankle, yanking me down.

"Kai!" my sister appears above, leaning over the gold railing with blood on her hands, though I do not see any apparent injuries at all.

"Keep running!" I shout at her. I turn around and throw another kick at Rgid with my free leg, but he dodges it; then lashes me with the whip again. Crack! My chest stings and everything starts to fade until I can only partially see my sister crying.

"Kai!" she screams again.

"Go now!" I tell her as I receive another lashing, on my back this time; then on my face, and drop on my hands and knees, letting the blood trickle down from my head, face, shoulder, back, and chest. I cannot get up. I'm too weak. "Nya…get out of here," I say before I collapse, and he whips me again, across my back a second time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Consequences

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate them. :) Let me know if this gets too graphic and I will moderate it. This is actually about why people shouldn't hitchhike because way worse things can happen and plenty real humans never return.**

**FireIce: It is neither one. You will find the answer in this chapter!**

I just remain on those hideous stairs, watching the blood drip slowly from my nose and forehead. Some of it runs into my lip, and I lick, but the taste is so…metallic and…frightening. It reminds me of my mother, and the smell of her blood. It's sickening. I hate it. How could anyone find this so enjoyable, to inflict pain on others and murder them? The words in silver appear in my mind, trying to tell me something.

_Black Roses are not as Beautiful as Red Ones_

"Black roses…death. Red roses…love or something else?" I say aloud. _Blood? Is this man a sadist? He would rather injure others than kill them?_

"Roses are my favorites," Rigid tells me and wipes the blood from my face, caressing my cheek, "and so is vital fluid."

I shove his hand away from me, disgusted with his ways, and hold back tears from the pain in my bare flesh. It stings, but all I need to concentrate on is getting away, with my poor little sister. She shouldn't have ever known about such horrible things at her young age, ever. I push the man away, running with all my strength that I have, shouting, "Nya, we need to get out of here!"

I glance back to see the attacker coming after me, quite slowly, looking like he enjoys our fear and pain. He whips me again, the thongs catching my bandage and part of my flesh as well, sending horrible pain down my spine and he yanks me back, sending me flying into him. He wraps both arms around my chest, pushing me down. I resist, but I'm not strong enough. He pins my face and body on the stairs; then shoves a finger into my back, digging an overgrown nail in my lash wound. I scream as he drags it down, tracing the bloody injuries and I kick my legs in the air, trying somehow to break free from the intolerable pain.

"Kai!" my sister calls me.

_Why won't she ever listen to me? _Rigid tears the bandage off me, throwing it aside and continues to dig into my wounds with disgusting delight. I flip my body over and kick at his face, but he catches my leg. _Oh no. This is going to be bad._

"Now you must bear the consequences of your actions," he tells me, smiling in a way that sends a chill down my spine.

**5 Hours Later**

"Kai, are you okay?" I hear my little sister's sweet voice and open my eyes. The simplest way to put how I feel right now is: I feel like a trashcan that's been beat to scrap metal. That man not only whipped me and dug his nails into the wounds, but he also dumped salt in them, which will clean the injuries, but it just stings so much that I passed out from the pain. Nya and I are currently in a room of twenty by twenty, all of course, in the anticipated colors and I am lying in her lap, bleeding out. The place is quite cold and I shiver from my sweat and the fact that I don't have shirt on. I wish I hadn't have lost it and that Nya hadn't…hitchhiked.

I sit up, now burning with rage at her foolishness, because if it weren't for her, we would be okay, maybe. "Sis, sit away from me, or else I might blow."

"Why?" she asks, moving closer to me and touches my cheek.

"Just…go!" I shove her away.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she demands, clearly hurt by my sudden fierceness.

_Calm down Kai. Don't get flared up, please! _"If it weren't for you, we would be fine and maybe in a home right now, and safe!"

"I'm sorry! You were passed out and I didn't know what to do! I wasn't going to hitchhike! He stopped and asked if I needed help! I was afraid you were going to die!" she protests, burying her face in her hands and crying.

I immediately feel bad and scoot over to her, pulling her hands away from her face; then gently lift her chin up. "I'm sorry Nya," I say and she leans against my chest, crying harder. I wince from the pain, but pat her back for a while, telling her, "It's okay. You're going to be fine." I wince again. I lied. Many people to who hitchhike never return…and I'm afraid we will become one of them. No, we won't. I will find a way to get us out…alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Escape

"How do we get out of here?" Nya clutches my arm fretfully, glancing back and forth at the tiny room, which contained only a few things: a table, two chairs, and a bradawl under the table. It is quite unusual. Why would he leave a sharp object carelessly over here where we could get it?

I whisper in her ear, "Listen very carefully. Go into the back corner of the room, and call for Rigid, crying."

"Okay, what are you going to do?" she asks.

"I'm going to attack him." She moves to the end of the room and I grab the bradawl; then sneak up behind the door, readying my weapon.

"Mr. Rigid! Kai's dead! Help him please!" my sister cries, huddling up in the corner, crying as loudly as she dares.

My sweaty hands grip the awl nervously as I hear rapid footsteps approaching. _Now's my chance! _The red door opens and I jab what comes through first: a hand. Rigid cries out in pain and pulls the weapon away from me, yanking it out of his flesh; then throws it on the floor.

Now I am faced with two choices: get the awl or fight the man with nothing, but I don't have a chance against him. He swings his fist at me as I dive for the sharp object, receiving a blow to my chest as my fingers wrap around the hilt. "Get over here!" Rigid demands, grabbing my leg while I thrust the awl into his arm, and I drag the weapon downwards. He screams raising his fist again and I feel horrible pain in my jaw as I slump to the floor. Everything starts to blur but I make out a red figure holding something brown, hitting something black.

My sister's voice rings in my ear. "Come on Kai! We've got to go!" She grabs my hand and helps me up; then we both take off, running down the stairs as quickly as possible. Once we are out of the house, we keep moving. I try not to pass out, and am rather successful, though things blur and clear, and blur and clear again often. All I can see well enough to know what it is the blood dripping on the road.

A white van pulls up next to us as my vision clears and I keep moving yet when I hear her voice, I halt. "Kai, what happened to you?"

I turn, seeing my beloved relative, opening her car door. "Auntie!" Nya and I cry out in unison, hugging her tightly. The nightmare is over, I hope, though one can never know.

**The End**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites everyone! Love you all! :)**

**Zane's Girlfriend**


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